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1. Animal fats in your diet work wonders, especially pastured beef. Get rid of grains, soy and corn, soy and canola oils. Eczema and dry skin in general should go away.

2. Cleaning the anal area after defecation is important. Baby wipes and some protectant (vaseline, Desitin or something similar) can help prevent rash/irritation.

3. I’ve completely changed my diet and all of my skin problems have disappeared over a period of months. Lots of natural fats from nuts, vegetables and fruits, supplements including high quality D3 and I use organic raw coconut oil on my face, arms and hands (even hair) at night. Skin injury healing time has been cut in half and I feel great. I’m 50 and quite frankly I refuse to become one of the out of shape, overweight couch potatoes with developing chronic health problems that are so common around here. Skin health is just one overall health area I focus on but it’s important.

4. Exposing skin to the sun is essential to vitamin D production. Northerners tend to be very D deficient in general. Vitamin D deficiencies are associated with most cancers as well has many chronic diseases like MS. Using sunscreen ensures that you will be D deficient while exposing you to potentially toxic skincare products.

   Use a brimmed hat to cover areas prone to burning. Use loose fitting clothing to minimize over-exposure. And do expose every patch of skin to several minutes of sunlight every day it is available… for your vitamin D sake.

   As already suggested in comments, getting enough of the right fats in your diet is extremely important. Grain oils like canola which are high omega-6, low omega-3, tend to be inflammatory and have shown to contribute to migraines, etc. High omega-3 oils, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil seems to consistently win the vegetable oils category. Dietary animal fats from healthy animals do not typically cause cholesterol problems. Industrial food, margarine, canola oil and trans fats in general do however cause problems, in spite of industry advertising.

   For skin care, I use the very same coconut oil, olive oil, and animal fat renderings that I have in the kitchen.

5. I have several comments. First is that anything you put on your skin is absorbed by the body, which is why I use organic coconut oil as a moisturizer. It absorbs in seconds and is surprisingly effective and nice to use. Read the ingredient list on most skin lotions and ask yourself if you need those chemicals in your body for some reason.

   Another suggestion is that if you have any kind of questionable mole or growth, find a good dermatologist and have it looked at. I had two very small dry patches on my face for years, that would come and go. I basically ignored them. One of them started getting a little bigger, then got a little scab. I still ignored it. Finally after a couple of years of ignoring, something had to be done, and I went to the dermatologist. The smaller patch was removed in about three seconds using cryotherapy (basically freezing it off with a spray of cold air). The one that had gotten worse had to be biopsied, then surgically removed in a 4 hour outpatient procedure using local anesthetic, one of the least fun days of my life, and leaving me with an unpleasant scar. If I had been smarter and gone to the dermatologist a couple of years ago, it all would have been over in about six seconds. I confess my failing in order that someone else may possibly be motivated to take needed action based on the example of my stupidity and tendency to procrastinate.

   And lastly, everyone in middle age or older needs to know about shingles, a horrible nerve rash associated with chicken pox, and about a surprising antidote for it which I now keep on hand. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get shingles, but last summer I did, and it was truly awful. I thought it was a heat rash at first but it had a sort of zigzag pattern and was only on my right side. By the third morning I knew what it was by comparing with internet pictures, but by that time even if I had gone to the doctor the anti-viral medication window they would have prescribed had closed. I fought with every natural medicine I could think of, including vitamins, colloidal silver, Bentonite clay, calamine, comfrey, anti-viral herbal support, anti-inflammatory foods. I spent hours on the internet looking for help. I accidentally came across a study that had found that Tagamet, an over the counter antacid, is one of the most effective treatments for shingles. The medical profession can’t prescribe it (profit from it) so they rarely share the information, even though many studies now show its effectiveness. https://lifeextensionvitamins.com/tatotrheands.html has dosage recommendations as well as a great explanation of how it works. I now keep Tagamet in the house and try to inform people about its effectiveness for treating shingles. I’m not a doctor, just someone who wants to share a useful bit of knowledge.

6. Ladies: When overseas for a total of almost 8 years (fobbit), I had to simplify routines and products. Tiny living areas, problems shipping in and storing heat-sensitive products, etc. were good practice for a shtf type situation. My routine became washing face in the morning with water only. Moisturizer was putting a few drops of oil (evening primrose or jojoba oil, with a little frankincense added) on my palm, rubbing hands together, then patting the barest amount of oil onto my face. A small amount absorbs pretty quickly. Nightime was using a few drops of the oil on my fingertips to remove eye makeup then wiping that away with a tissue. Then I applied a few more drops of oil to my palms and massaged that onto my face, before using a small amount of plain soap and water to remove the oil from my face. Use enough soap to get the oil off but not so much that you strip/dry the skin. If needed (mostly just in the drier winters), pat on a light layer for overnight. I use this oil for an occasional hot oil treatment for hair/scalp. This oil is expensive to use on an entire body, so I used either coconut oil or olive oil. When traveling for a week or so, I would just take a bar of mild soap and my face oil – saves a lot of space in a backpack.

7. I would question the use of sunscreen all the time. As one who is fair skinned , I ll burn before I tan usually. But there are chemicals in sunscreen and our bodies do absorb them. I try to keep most of my body loosely covered and use sunscreen on the exposed surfaces when I have to spend a lot of time outdoors.

8. During about 30 years in the Redoubt, I tried to always wear a hat with at least a 3 to 4 inch brim: AKA a Cowboy Hat. And 80 percent of the time I wore long sleeve shirts. It worked. No skin cancer. A co-worker of mine always wore ball caps. Several times he had pieces of cancerous growth removed from his ears, and quite often would be displaying ears with tops that looked like raw hamburger.

   Likewise when it gets below 30 degrees, wear head protection and gloves to finish out your wardrobe. One tough guy I knew refused to wear gloves at -5 F. The next day he went to the medical clinic. Huge bubbles on the tops of his fingers between the joints, where the frost had thawed and was now collecting fluid. Other friends who refused earflaps in cold temps lost bits and pieces of ears and cheeks. Loss of skin integrity.

   I won’t say that north Montana is cold, but when temps lower sometimes to -10 and slide down
   to -37 F, it lacks a bit of heat.

   My BOB has a pair of USGI forest-green leather gloves. Lightweight, good for a bit of protection for cooking, as well as working and a bit of heat retention in bitter cold. https://www.amazon.com/Mil-Tec-Tactical-Leather-Gloves-Medium/dp/B00L5DN8SC/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1540399716&sr=8-33&keywords=green+leather+gloves+men

   I highly recommend further skin protection like this https://www.amazon.com/Terramar-Adult-Thermasilk-Glove-Liner/dp/B000V5BCGU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1540399448&sr=8-6&keywords=thermal+glove+inserts&dpID=41eddRPhkpL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

   Finally, for good skin, I remind people to ‘Eat a tablespoon of lard every day’.

   Thanks for the article TK, it is a nice change of topic.

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